Misty Rain

13. Misty Rain

Srinivas walked in from the backyard, stopping in his tracks as he saw the scene in front of him-his daughter Jagathi tied to a pillar, hands bound behind their back, sitting on the slab while Tarun and Tanuja gleefully fed her chocolate. Jagathi, with her mouth stuffed full of chocolate, was still managing to yell, her voice filled with mock outrage.

"Amma! Seriously, are you my mother? Srinu, your wife is becoming a sadist day by day!" she exclaimed as soon as she saw her father.

Her brothers, Anand and Vinod, hurried in, their eyes widening in surprise at the sight of their sister. Anand quickly moved toward Jagathi, intending to untie her. "What is this, Maa? Why did you tie her up?" he asked, puzzled.

Before he could reach her, Jagathi piped up, her words slightly garbled from the chocolate in her mouth. "Bhai! I haven't eaten anything all morning!" she complained, though the evidence of chocolate smeared on her lips suggested otherwise.

Their mother, Janaki, stood nearby, shaking her head in exasperation. "Anand, don't you dare untie her! This girl's mouth has been going non-stop-either blabbering or eating!" she said, crossing her arms in mock frustration.

Srinivas exchanged a glance with Laxman, who had just entered, confused about the situation. "Bhabhi, what exactly happened?" Laxman asked, trying to keep his composure.

Laxman's wife, Urmila, walked in from the kitchen, bursting into laughter as she saw the scene unfold. "Oh, it's quite a story," she began, struggling to hold back her giggles. "Jagathi here snuck into the kitchen early this morning, without realizing her mother was still around. She thought it would be funny to draw a moustache on her face with kajal. janaki di didn't even notice until I, Priya, and Charani pointed it out to her!"

At this, Priya and Charani, who were standing nearby, covered their mouths, trying hard not to burst into laughter themselves.

Vinod looked at Jagathi, shaking his head with a grin. "So, this is your punishment, huh?" he teased.

Srinivas tried to keep a stern expression as he reminded them, "I told you, my best friend's son, Shourya, is coming today. Enough of this drama; let's all behave."

Anand, chuckling, untied Jagathi's hands. She stood up, stretching her wrists with exaggerated relief, then immediately walked over to her mother. Leaning down, she placed a quick kiss on her cheek and teased, "I hate you, darling." Her mother tried to stifle a smile, shaking her head with affectionate exasperation.

Turning to her father with a mischievous grin, Jagathi added, "And you, Srinu! You're acting like this Shourya is some kind of prince or Alexander the Great! Just your friend's son, right?" She raised her eyebrows, feigning skepticism. "Honestly, no one here even cares about *me*," she declared dramatically, as if wounded by the lack of attention. "So, I'll make it easy for everyone-I'm leaving!"

"Jagathi! Wait!" called her chachi, Urmila, but before anyone could stop her, Jagathi dashed toward the door, waving them off theatrically.

"Bye, Chachi!" she called over her shoulder, adding a playful wink before disappearing down the hallway, leaving the family laughing at her familiar antics.

Laxman glanced over at Srinivas with a knowing smile. "Did Shourya call to confirm when he's coming?"

Srinivas shook his head, letting out a sigh. "No, he hasn't called yet. He's likely arriving by evening, though." He cast a worried glance in the direction Jagathi had gone, a hint of amusement in his tone. "With that girl, though, God knows what she'll do by the time he gets here.

Anand and Vinodh exchanged curious glances as they watched their children play, each lost in thought. Anand scratched his head, murmuring, "You know, we've met pretty much all of Dad's friends and their kids. But I've never even heard of this Shourya before."